BLM to Burn Slash Piles in South Dakota

BELLE FOURCHE, S.D. --- The BLM South Dakota Field Office will be burning slash piles on BLM-administered lands in Meade and Lawrence counties beginning this fall as weather conditions permit.

Pile burning will take place on the Fort Meade Recreation Area near Sturgis and by the Englewood and Powder house Pass subdivisions and along Yellow Creek road near Lead.

“There is approximately 400 acres which contain piles of non-marketable timber and debris that will be burned,” said BLM Fire Management Specialist Ryan Larson, based in Belle Fourche.

Burning will occur with a minimum of two inches of snow cover and as predicted weather conditions permit. Smoke may be visible and will be monitored to minimize impacts to sensitive areas.

The piles are a byproduct of projects initiated to improve habitat, reduce Pine beetle infestation and the threat of wildfire.

For more information call BLM Fire Management Specialist Ryan Larson at 605.892.7033 or 605.210.0284. For the latest BLM news and updates go to: www.blm.gov/mt. The BLM is also on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BLMMontana.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.